In the field of clinical examination, it has been desired in recent years to raise the speed of treatment by sample pretreatment systems that perform pretreatment such as aliquoting on samples including blood and urine for biochemical analyses or immunoassays. One way of boosting the efficiency of such treatment is by configuring a plurality of sample pretreatment systems for treating numerous samples in parallel.
In that system configuration, it might happen that a sample bearing the same barcode is input a number of times or that the sample in multiple containers bearing the same barcode is input. In such cases, aliquot samples that have already been prepared could be prepared again unnecessarily.
For example, there may be the case where a sample, once input and finished in treatment, needs to be again treated for re-examination or for other reasons, or the case where a sample of a large volume is input in multiple sample containers. In these cases, the sample bearing the same barcode needs to be input a number of times (or introduced in multiple containers) to the system. In a system configuration that involves only one sample pretreatment system, the sample in containers bearing the same barcode is input to the same system. Thus the system can determine whether these samples are “input for the first time” or “input a second or subsequent time.” Meanwhile, in a system configuration in which multiple sample pretreatment systems are connected, if the sample in multiple containers bearing the same barcode is input to different sample pretreatment systems, it is impossible for each system to determine whether the sample it is given is “input for the first time” or “input a second or subsequent time.”
In an example such as one shown in FIG. 3 where a plurality of sample pretreatment systems are connected to form a multisystem configuration and where a primary sample in multiple containers (each bearing the same barcode for sample identification) is input, the primary sample in a first container may be input to one sample pretreatment system and the primary sample in a second or subsequent container may be input to another sample pretreatment system. In this case, each sample pretreatment system determines that the input primary sample is “input for the first time” and prepares aliquot samples to be used to perform analysis for the all analysis items that the primary sample is requested. Thus multiple aliquot samples (81, 82) are prepared for the same analysis item, which leads to the output of multiple measurements of the same item.
In view of the above problem, processes may be performed conceivably to delete aliquot sample preparation request information from within a host system upon transmission of an aliquot report (60) thereto so that no further aliquot sample will be prepared in duplicate regarding the analysis item for which aliquoting has been finished. However, between the time when the host system transmits aliquot sample preparation request information to one sample pretreatment system and the time when an aliquot report is sent back from the same system, the sample in a second or subsequent container could be input to another sample pretreatment system. In that case, the request information cannot be deleted in time because of a time lag (83), and the same problem mentioned above cannot be avoided.
This has led to other problems such as the drop in the treatment efficiency of the entire system attributable to the preparation of unnecessary aliquot sample, and rising running costs due to the excess use of consumables such as aliquot sample containers.
Thus in the case of a system configuration having multiple sample pretreatment systems connected therein, it has been necessary to take measures not to input the sample bearing the same barcode a number of times (or in multiple containers), such as limitations on system use by customers. The system configuration including a plurality of sample pretreatment systems is disclosed in Patent Literature 1, for example. The method of carrying out processes upon input of a primary sample in multiple containers is disclosed in Patent Literature 2.